Minnkota hosts Project Tundra landowner meeting

Minnkota Power Cooperative held its second Project Tundra landowner meeting of 2022 on Oct. 13 in Center, N.D. About 75 attendees heard from project leaders on development efforts and the science by carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage.

In addition to its fully permitted storage facility underneath the Milton R. Young Station (where CO2 will be captured), Minnkota is pursuing another storage area outside of Center, N.D. Stratigraphic test well research, geophysical survey work and other data analysis continues to show that the region has ideal geology for safe, permanent CO2 storage.

“This project would not be possible without the outstanding support we’ve received from the landowners, the city of Center and Oliver County,” said Mac McLennan, Minnkota president and CEO. “We remain committed to keeping open lines of communication with all key stakeholders as we continue forward with development efforts.”

Among the speakers at the landowner meeting were McLennan; Shannon Mikula, Minnkota environmental manager and Project Tundra geologic storage lead; and Wes Peck, Assistant Director for Subsurface Strategies at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). Both in-person and virtual meetings have been held consistently over the last few years to ensure landowners and other key stakeholders receive timely project updates and have a forum to ask questions and provide feedback.

Minnkota anticipates completing engineering work on the CO2 capture facility in 2023. Additional work will be completed to refine the project’s economic model and prepare to pursue financing efforts. A decision on whether to move forward with construction is expected before the end of 2023.

MAIN IMAGE: Minnkota CEO Mac McLennan addresses the crowd of 75 landowners during the Oct. 13 meeting.